About

We have a combined 60 years experience in reading landscape, permaculture design, homesteading, landscaping, community and business consultation and facilitation skills.

Our people

Dan Palmer

Co-founder of the now international permablitz movement, Dan is now a leader in design process thinking as a critical participant in a global permaculture conversation. His projects include Making Permaculture Stronger and Living Design Process. He regularly contributes to permaculture and organic gardening publications and courses in Australia and New Zealand. Since 2009, Dan has been a full time professional permaculture designer, educator and landscaper with the business he co-directs with Adam, Very Edible Gardens (VEG). After years back in his home country of NZ where Dan, his partner Amanda, and daughters Ciela and Nikkal helped developing a 7-acre permaculture property, they are now based in Castlemaine, where Dan is involved in farm and small acreage design, and writing. Dan has two Permaculture Design Certificates, a BA and Masters Degree in Social Science, and a PhD in Systems Thinking.

Nathan Edwards

One of VEG’s biggest challenges has been retaining some of our wonderful co-founders and staff members who have a tendency to eventually leave the city to start productive homesteads. One of those people was one-time VEG Director Nathan Edwards, who after owner-building on a 15 acre block in Castlemaine, obsessively learnt the geological, biological and cultural nuances of the Central Victorian region. He began using this knowledge to help several friends and associates find good blocks. Since 2011 Nathan and his partner Belle and son Gene have been improving the post-gold rush skeletal soils of his block. Nathan’s knowledge of the climates, soils and cultures of Central Victorian region is perhaps second only to David Holmgren.

Adam Grubb

Adam is one of the co-founders and directors of Very Edible Gardens, through which he’s in demand as a designer and educator. He came to resilience thinking and permaculture after starting the energy news clearinghouse Energy Bulletin in 2003 (now Resilience.org). He did a permaculture design course in 2004 with Darren Doherty and David Holmgren, and later helped Dan to get the now global permablitz movement off the ground. He is a wild food enthusiast, runs popular edible weed walks, and is co-author with Annie Raser-Rowland of The Weed Forager’s Handbook. They are also co-authors of The Art of Frugal Hedonism. You can hear him on Tuesday nights on Melbourne’s Triple R hosting Greening the Apocalypse. The one city-living member of the team, he brings his formidable analytical skills to the Landed table.

David Holmgren, consulting associate

As the co-founder (with the late Bill Mollison) of the permaculture movement, David needs little introduction. Unlike Bill he spent decades out of the public eye refining and testing his vision and developing several permaculture properties, including what is now one of the best demonstration sites in the world, his home with partner Su Dennett, Melliodora in Hepburn Springs. His ability to read landscape is legendary. His experience and skills in living from the land are vast and a constant source of inspiration to us. He’s the author of several books including the seminal Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. David’s both a mentor and an optional consultant on pre-property land assessments. See: www.holmgren.com.au